Administration Profiles at EMMC

Interim President for Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center

As interim president, Ava is responsible for leading operations of EMMC to improve the health of communities throughout the regions served. Ava is charged with aligning resources to support Maine communities and hospitals needing advanced inpatient and outpatient care.

Ava became interim president of Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in October 2024. She understands her responsibility to this community and is active in many roles to strengthen the relationship between EMMC and the community at large.  

Ava holds a Master of Healthcare Administration from Tulane University and a Bachelor of Science from Northeast Louisiana University and is board certified as a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. With more than 25 years of executive healthcare experience, Ava is a dynamic leader recognized for driving results through the connection of strategy, clinical operations, talent, and culture. In addition, she has been successful in leading complex change and physician collaboration focused on high quality, patient-centered care.

Ava most recently served in executive roles for Tenet Healthcare, in Framingham and Worcester, including chief executive officer of MetroWest Medical Center, a multi-site campus with acute care and behavioral health hospitals. In addition to leading through the COVID-19 pandemic, she directed transformational initiatives, fostered innovation, and drove high impact capital projects to ensure sustainability and growth.

Prior to joining Tenet, Ava served in various executive roles with Ochsner Health in New Orleans. A few highlights of her career at Ochsner include the re-opening of Ochsner Baptist Hospital after Hurricane Katrina; the opening of the Gayle and Tom Benson Cancer Center at the flagship Medical Center; leading the system operating cycle and strategic planning process; and navigating the planning, impact, and recovery of Hurricane Katrina.

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Vice President and Senior Physician Executive of Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center

James Clarke, MD, is the senior vice president and senior physician executive of Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center.
 
As an enthusiastic supporter of patient safety, clinical quality, and service, Dr. Clarke oversees a wide variety of physician and clinical functions for Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center. They include – quality and safety officer, executive director for the president of the medical staff, oversight of chiefs of service, physician leader at executive level, and collaborator with vice president of Provider Services and the senior vice president of Operations to lead the physician practices.
 
He excels at bringing people together around a common purpose and enjoys fostering resilient multi-disciplinary teams that provide comprehensive care to patients and the community.
 
As a physician leader Dr. Clarke is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Society.
 
Prior to joining the Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center Dr. Clarke served as general surgeon and faculty member at New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City.  
 
Education:
Princeton University
Weill Cornell Medical School
New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center
 
Dr. Clarke became the senior vice president and senior physician executive of Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in 2020.
 

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Vice President of Provider Services, Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center

Carolyn Fetha, Vice President of Provider Services, Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center, has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Husson University. She has been in a leadership position here at the medical center since 2008. Prior to that, Carolyn was a practice manager for 17 years at Northern Light Surgical Specialists. 

Carolyn serves as the administrative leader for Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center employed physician practices. She partners with physicians, practice leadership, and medical center leadership. She conducts Medical Group strategic planning; manages human, capital and material resources in support of organizational goals and objectives; manages the efficiency and effectiveness of daily administration and operations; and participates in the decision-making process through the collection and presentation of information. 

Carolyn places an emphasis on living and leading with integrity, respect, compassion, empathy, and honesty.

Carolyn is a professional member of the Medical Group Management Association and finds fulfillment by giving back to our community as a volunteer with Good Shepherd Food Bank.

Favorite quote

"I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”  Maya Angelou

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Vice President of Finance for Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center

Randy Albert started his role of vice president of Finance on July 1, 2024. Excelling as a strong partner to EMMC operations, Randy will provide timely updates to Northern Light Health senior management on issues and status of major projects and will prepare, recommend, develop, and implement the annual operating and capital budgets to EMMC and Northern Light Health leadership. Additionally, Randy serves as the vice president and chief analytics officer for Northern Light Health.

Randy will work closely with leaders and teams across Eastern Maine Medical Center, in addition to shared services across Northern Light Health, including Analytics, Materials Management, Patient Financial Services, Patient Access, the Northern Light Medical Group, and Health Information Management Services, to name a few. His data driven approach will help bring new insights forward and inform decision-making at EMMC.

In addition to his professional accomplishments, Randy is actively engaged in industry associations, including the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), Healthcare Finance Management Association (HFMA), and Medical Group Management Association (MGMA). He also shares his knowledge and expertise, having served as a guest lecturer at the University of Maine, Husson University and Boise State University, teaching courses and talking with students on the business of healthcare, healthcare operations, and analytics.

Randy’s educational background includes a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in finance from the University of Maine. He is currently pursuing a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Healthcare Management from Husson University. Randy has also completed the Next Generation CFO Program from Deloitte, further enhancing his skills and knowledge in finance leadership and was the recipient of MaineBiz Magazine’s 2022 40 under 40 award, honoring his accomplishments and impact to the business of healthcare in Maine.

Outside of his professional endeavors, Randy has been actively involved in his community, having previously served as Overseer, Treasurer & Road Commissioner for the Lucerne-in-Maine Village Corporation and as a member of the Budget Committee for the Town of Dedham, Maine.
As a life-long Mainer, Randy enjoys being outdoors in each of Maine’s four seasons; skiing, boating, hiking or gardening – you can find him outdoors enjoying everything Maine has to offer.

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Vice President of Nursing and Patient Care Services for Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center

Deborah (Deb) Sanford, MBA, MSN, RN is the vice president of nursing and patient care services for Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center.
 
As a true patient advocate as well as experienced leader, Deb works hard to integrate strategic planning, development, and standards of care to improve patient experience quality and financial outcomes. These areas of focus are all critical to successful Nursing/Patient Care Services operations. She is also a key member of the leadership team that ensures compliance with quality standards as it relates to the care provided to all patients.
 
Drawing from her years of nursing and leadership experience, Deb also defines and implements a unified nursing culture that will promote a multidisciplinary care model approach for advancing the continuity of care.
 
She is passionate about the pursuit of excellent patient care and treating patients as if they were a part of her own family, which is another top priority in her life. Deb also enjoys making a difference in her community and profession.
 
Deb contributes to her profession and community by being involved in a variety of organizations. She is a member of the Maine State Board of Nursing, a returning board member of the United Way of Eastern Maine (previous past president) and is a Rotarian and Paul Harris Society member.
 
Prior to joining Northern Light Health in 1996, Deb was a nurse leader at Strong Member Hospital, University of Rochester; an adjunct faculty member at St. John Fisher College and a Financial Analysist for Morgan Stanley & Company.
 
Education:
BSN – Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY
MBA – University of Rochester, Simon School of Business, Rochester, NY
MSN – St. John Fisher College, Rochester, NY
Executive Fellow; Baldridge Executive Fellow Program
 
Deb became vice president of Nursing and Patient Care Services in January 2015.

Favorite Quote:
“Have the passion, take the action and magic will happen.”
~ Bar Refaeli
 

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Vice President of Human Resources and Community Benefits
Northern Light Health

Ali Worster, Esq. is the vice president of Human Resources and Community Benefits of the East Region for Northern Light Health.
 
As vice president of Human Resources and Community Benefits, East Region, Ali participates in the planning and implementation of strategies to ensure that Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center is a great place to give and receive care. She is specifically responsible for providing direction to patient experience, human resources, volunteer services, community health initiatives and community health strategic plan, education and leadership training, and employee health and employee wellness in collaboration with Northern Light Health system support.
 
She is also charged with leading and improving employee and labor relations, providing learning and career pathways for all staff, recruitment and retention, local diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, policy administration, performance management, employee recognition events, salary administration, co-leading cultural transformation, resolving employee complaints and ensuring compliance with a myriad of legal and regulatory requirements related to her areas of responsibility.

Ali views all staff, volunteers, providers and vendors as part of the care team, and is passionate about helping each one learn and develop into the highest caliber of care giver, no matter which role they play on the team. Ali champions individual and collective ownership of Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center and the care we provide.
 
She maintains an active membership with the Maine State Bar, is a member of the Board of Directors for the Bangor Y, Hillside School and the Challenger Center, and regularly volunteers with many local non-profits.
 
Prior to joining Northern Light Health Eastern Maine Medical Center in 2017, Ali served as the senior manager and chief negotiator for labor relations at Bath Iron Works and on the Northern Light Health legal team.
 
Education:
 
University of Tennessee, Bachelor’s Degrees in Political Science and Philosophy
University of Maine School of Law, Juris Doctorate
Drexel University, LLM Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Compliance

 

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Vice President of Compliance and Privacy for Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center.

As vice president of Compliance and Privacy, Tracy provides leadership and oversight of the compliance, privacy, and risk management programs at Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center.

Tracy oversees a team of Compliance Officers and the Risk Management Department that all help support the delivery of safe and quality patient care in adherence with applicable laws and regulations.  

Prior to joining the hospital in 2020, Tracy worked at Northern Light Health at the system level and was involved in the planning and execution of the Northern Light Health Compliance Program overseeing Compliance and Privacy Officers for thirteen Northern Light Health member organizations.  

Tracy is a licensed attorney in the State of Maine and a member of the Maine State Bar Association, Penobscot County Bar Association, American Health Law Association, and Health Care Compliance Association. She also holds certifications in Healthcare Compliance and Healthcare Privacy Compliance through the Health Care Compliance Association.  

Education:
University of Maine, Bachelor of Arts in Social Work 
University of Maine School of Law, Juris Doctorate

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Associate Vice President of Patient Safety and Quality

Libby Perry is the Associate Vice President of Patient Safety and Quality Improvement and is responsible for leading the development, execution, and oversight of the patient safety and quality improvement strategy at Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center, including patient experience and culture of safety. Libby works closely with all nursing, physician, and operational leaders to improve the care delivery to provide excellent care and compassion every day.

Libby received her Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration from the University of Maine and a Masters of Public Health from the University of New England. Her early career began working in Waterville for the Healthy Maine Partnership, then moved to Boston to work in the Stem Cell Program and Pediatric Gastroenterology at Boston Childrens and Harvard Medical School. Libby joined the medical center in 2014, returning to the hospital where she was born. First in primary care quality improvement and in 2017, moving to lead quality efforts across the medical center.

Guiding principles: 
Libby is committed to a life of public service, improving our communities through excellent care delivery and experience. As a native Bangorian, this hospital represents the history of the community where she was raised and the care provider for her family in the best and most difficult of times.

Professional and community membership and leadership roles:  
EMMC Auxiliary Member
Incorporator, University of Maine Foundation
National Volunteer, Chi Omega Fraternity
 
Certifications:
Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality
Lean Six Sigma Greenbelt

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